What are Words ForThe straw-man that you're talking toOn which you paint my faceThat's not meNeither am I certainDo you want to win this fightOr just have it? Then have itI'll watch and waitWhen words are wallsAnd battering ramsAnd kind words woundSilence is still an option

​The Light in His EyesThe god you claim to fearIs a cartoonA twofaced clownYour awe feigned Like a WWF fanNaming yourself TruebelieverOnly exposes the lose threadsIn the costume you've outgrownThe one fitted by the priestIn confirmation/bias classIf you really feared God I might believe youBut you've betrayed what you fearAnd it's not GodUnless "God comes to usDisguised as our lives"Concealed in the stranger Without and withinBecause I too fear thisNot the masked Punisher Unknowable, ruthless and cruelBut the Light That exposes the lies I tellTo protect myselfFrom the foreigner in needAnd the light in his eyesI fear the light in his eyesAnd what they will call forthMaybe you do to

The WireIn spite of how it may feelThe safest placeIs the tight ropeWhere instantaneous feedbackKeeps you on the narrow wayReligion was born of aweA sudden awarenessOf the overwhelmingSacredness of each stepFrom which follows desireTo be awake Able to respondMoment by momentTo the ever changing realityLifeReligion diedWhen it answered every questionDefined the wayRemoved the necessary terrorOf being awakePainfully aliveDiscerning on the wire

John Muir WalkedMaking miles over rough terrainOne must place each step with careAnd John made milesBut he seemed to seeEvery bird and tree And take time to converse with allListening to the wisdomOf water falling over stoneHis journals suggestAn experience so thickSensuousAnd worshipfulThat I picture him crawlingThen rolling on his backTo apologize to and wonder at the Dragon fly He just disturbedThere's a phrase well knownBy those familiar with extremes Slow its smoothAnd smooth is fastMaybe he didn't walk like I walkMaybe he tickled the ground With each stepHis toes a sixth senseThe the rest of his sensesUpright and attentiveA conduit of wonder

HiddenWhy does the devil always demandThat the people denounce God With words Or symbolic actionStep on this crossOr others will sufferDenounce St. JamesThirsty pilgrimAnd I'll give you waterThat's easyThat's a diversionWho is this "devil"Demanding fealty to relics Leading people to believeThat thirst is illicitThat people are less valuableThan objects labeled sacredThe Devil is hiddenIn vestmentsThe Christ is hiddenIn the outcast

​We Must Go ThroughYou must go through thisYour illusions must be exposedYour bubble popped So you can breathFresh airYou don't want toI understandI don't want to watch you I'm sick of watching youEmbarrass yourselfDefending the indefensible Conflating BLM with White Nationalists Calling the humility of the scientific method arroganceIt's hard for me tooBut you must go through thisI'm willing to suffer it with you

The Real World

I glimpsed a different storyBut that was Sunday schoolIn the real worldThere isn't enoughFor me and mineIf I don't competeI'll be eatenStories don't feed my childrenOr protect my nationWalls Military mightAnd weed killersA dependable source of energyTo power my home securityIn these things I trustYou talk of neighbor loveThat's nice for Sunday schoolBut in the real worldIt's just a pretty pietyA foolish children's storyDon't bother meI've got work to do

Clue

When I was tenI took the tiny knifeFrom the ConservatoryStabbing it into the Sliding screen door

Slow and straightI cut a one inch gashIt was a delicious sensationThe illicit pleasure of destruction

The babysitter quicklyPulled my hand awayThe scar was never repairedAnd became a daily reminder

I was not ashamedBut I was aware​

Second Naivete

I don't labelOr come to conclusionsThere's too much going onToo much I can not seeOr yet imagine

What don't knowCould fill a libraryThe grandest canyonThe depths of every sea

My bewilderment is vastFecund as a rain forestBeautiful as the night skyUnpolluted by artificial light

In Your Hand

Aspire for the goodYou cannot yet live

Let others see you failOr risk blindnessThe eyes of those who seeAs necessary as your ownThe good and beautifulLay just out of reachBut never out of sightThe good and beautifulAre the lureThe pearl of great priceThe only thing worthy of trustThey will not be heldDon't even hopeThat thing in your handThat's not it

Poetic Theorem

We remember that which makes an impressionThose memories form reality

Reality is createdBy the chinks in our armorThe poorer the armorThe more realityDefenses are protectionThe source of inauthentic lifeThis theorem proves the BeatitudesThe defendedThe strongThe wealthy and powerfulAre inauthenticThe undefended are realAnd because of this they are blessedThey have the most reality to offerThere is an undefended selfIn every personThe crucified Imago Dei

You no longer needPowerPrivilegeEsteemYou are freeYou can lose everything

In the MudFirst loveThe ground on whichYou walkThat living dustThat diesSo that you may danceThenWelcome the impossible taskLoving that which would walkOn youObliviousHow many times must we be toldDying is livingLosing is winningThe task is giftA game to playA toy to moldIn the mud like children

Living and Writing

Living and writingDemand the sameReject the clicheThe easyThe lie

Attentive, vulnerableWaitingReady to spring into actionReady to spring a verse

That lineThat actMight doBut something in meKnowsThere's a more beautiful noteAaah, the exquisite pain of waitingWill it be worth it

The Perpetually Perishing Moment

The way of JesusDeath and resurrectionIt's like Wack A MoleVictory through dyingResurfacing in another place

If killing is all you've gotYou're gonna loseBest way to delayYour inevitable defeatIs to share powerThe illusion of life everlasting

But power provokes resistanceGrows weary of the fightWithers and diesFeeding the boundless lifeFound in the grave

Money is a Game

Money is a gameMusical chairsCreating scarcityAnd competition

It's driven by a storyThe story of separationA productive storyThat drove usTo produce so much crapThat we turned this beautiful worldFrom a wonderInto a landfill

There's no more roomTo convert lifeAnd the worldInto moneyOne day the landfillWill be full of money

The self a heroic sheriffMaintaining law and orderWith his Colt single actionPeacemaker

Everyone kept in her placeBy the will of oneA violent manWith a heart of gold

Five generations laterUppity people of every colorRound every cornerFrom every which way

How does the heroMaintain orderThe bible or the gun?

Who Will lead

Who will take the leadMove beyond opinionForgo defensive dataListen for the heart's cryThe divine longing

Who will suffer invisibilityThe ache to be known and heardTo make spaceFor a question to emerge

And then suffer patienceReject the leading questionAnd wait againEmbarrassed and silentFor the lightfull question

The wrench in the motorThat drives the auto-pilotThe third eye opensYou become visibleNo one is sure of the answerThe celebration begins

I've Seen the Enemy

I've seen the enemyAnd it's not usIt's the simple storyThe common sense morality taleThat helps us sleep at nightFeeding dreamsBut seeding liesAbout an enemy otherWho merely believesA different versionOf the same fantasy

Like the Resurrected Christ

Like the resurrected ChristWe walk through wallsFear can't contain usOr lock us out

We're not insensitiveSometimes we feel naughtyAshamed of our freedomWe hide from your gaze

But then we rememberWe are your friendsEven though you forget

Divine Promises

"Love is light, not consolation."--Simone Weil

Divine promisesAre like poetryThey offer everything you needBut almost nothing you wantThey offer power to seeNot power to wieldHope for surpriseBut no hope of certaintyThey evoke images of unionAnd harsh realitiesRather than wishful fantasy

To Be or To Believe

What can it mean to sayI believe in the hypostatic unionWhen I don't even believeThat my neighbor is realI can only aspire to believe

To believe is to BEThe greatest risk of allTo experience my neighbor'sHunger as my hungerI'll need some better sermons

Who Told YouThat You Were Naked?

I acknowledge no absolute authorityExcept the good questionWhich alone can saveFrom easy answersWhispered by serpents

What Kind of SalvationMakes One Vulnerable?

So many who claimGod's Incarnated EmpathyAs their saviorAre suspicious of EmpathyIt breaks down wallsMakes one vulnerableSoftens certainties

Build a Wall

OK I admit itI've built a wall in my heartAnd I've tried to make you payI don't know how to tear it downThere is no foreign leader to blameNo opportunity for Reaganesque posingTo get me out of bed

Instead of blamingI'm confessingAsking forgivenessFor what you can not seeI'll chip away from my side

If you put your ear up to the wallMaybe you'll hear me poundingMaybe you could have a glass of water waiting

The liberating contradictionInvisible to allAll but the loyal dogAnd the outlaw poetWho love everything

They love what they seeSure that their gaze can healEven as the belovedKicks pastBarely consciousOf what just happened

Message in a Glad Bag

Hunched over the trashBlack bag cloakedTiny gray headFocused

Large man with pink boxPlaces coinNear the witheredLeft hand balancing

A screech like barkEchoes from glass walls100 decibelsImpossible sound

Customers turnInvoluntaryFrom glistening pastriesIncomprehension

The bag alive and quickFull sail chaseReturns the coinsFerocious words:"You have no right"

Back to the treasureHunched, still, searchingEnergy like I've never seenA radiating life

Woman in lineSnorts and scrunchesHer face disfiguredBy a wondrous mystery

Nouns

​My opinions and preferencesThey are of no consequence whatsoeverHappy?

I amThe freedom is exhilarating

Every encounterWith person or peacockIs newAn invitationA possibility

At my bestI'm a proudNot-know-it-all

At first it felt dangerousDeliciously riskyBut nothing happenedNothing changed

I continued to chase downThe same dead endsThis thought connected to that thoughtCircled back to this thoughtUrgent, important, myopic​With nothing to hang ontoI landed on the groundIn this aging body With these surprising peopleIn these boundless placesAnd all these wondrous things

The Blank Page

Cleared of the clutter of hand-me-down desiresThe blank page appearsFull of emptiness, boredom, and hunger

Some call it spaciousnessBut only after the gnawing abatesThere's nothing to be done about the boredom and hungerOnly waitThe waiting is faith and hope

Faith that there's moreMore out thereMore in hereHope for something new​Surprising and unpredictable

The predictable is always availableDependableSaccharine

The blank page is dependable, tooRuthless and cruelIt mocks and tauntsWoos and seduces

Like a projector screenIt receives, mirrors, and revealsBut it also opens like a doorA locked doorKeyed with patience and attention

There are no guaranteesYou will find what you findMaybe the detritus of an un-lived lifeOr a few cluesWeighed down with dubious promises

NeverthelessThe blank page opens up tomorrowThe only other optionIs more yesterday'sOr the day before

More Silence Than Noise

The poetry is hiddenIn the convalescenceNot the diagnosisIn the dark screenNot the news feed

Consent to conflictTo nausea as processThese are the containersThe unwrapped metaphors

The shadow contains the questionThe question that leadsTo the next questionThe mystery that illuminates

Like the dark matterThat fills the cosmosThere's more silenceThan noise

Look at a Chair

Look at a chairSee the woodWhere is the treeThe forestThe carpenterThe perceiver

The entire universelnterwoven InterdependentIn the chair

The presence of wood Reveals the tree

The presence of leafThe sun

Apple blossomsThe apple

Can you see The one in the many The many in the one

The chair is not separate

It existsInterdependent with everything

​It is because all other things are

Divine Politics

God is a LibertarianWatching us playIn barbed-wire

And God is a bleeding heartSuffering in solidarityThe consequences of freedom

But that is not allGod exercises powerNot to cause or coerceBut to create and wooGod's patience is everlasting

But only ShalomWill satisfy divine justice

The Great Ship

I'm not this person yetBut I wish to become oneOne who wouldLeave the lifeboatMake room for the otherThe enemy even

Become the oneWho would gatherAt the band standThe other musiciansAnd playPlay the saddest songThe only songWe could play

Even if the great shipAmericaIs sinking to the icy depthsAnd reason implores"Elbow your way onto the raft"

I am persuadedBy the man on the treeThe one who forgaveHis executionersThe only way to find lifeIs to lose it

I am persuadedUnshakable in my convictionNow comes the hard part

Meditation as Composting

Regrets about the pastAnd anxious projectionsAre like old banana skins Smelly and uselessBut if you set them aside In the compost pile Where soul and spirit mingleToday's wasteful thoughts Become the rich soil Bearing tomorrow's sweet fruitPeaceful creative presence

The Identified Patient

The Messenger can be a foolOr a tricksterSometimes confusedAddicted Or spewing hate

Dismiss the unworthy oneNothing could be easierNo one would blame meEvery Messenger is unworthyIn someone's eyes

But when I see it doneAnd I see it every dayI always wince

Because I knowThe message is a giftAnd the Messenger is the messageBorn from the same longing

"What you do to the least of theseThis you do unto me."

The Circle Equation

God is loveLove is creative effortThe opposite of creativity is destructionSin is whatever blocks the flow of loveSalvation from sin flows from vulnerabilityVulnerability is the courage to love and be lovedCourage comes from solidaritySolidarity connects us to God in the Other

Naturally one fallsThere are tearsBut the playful joy of discoveryThe exhilaration of the newThe capacity to weepWith those who weepAnd rejoiceWith those who rejoiceMakes the inevitable slideTowards deathA life lived full

You Said Call When I Land

I find myself surprisedIn a kind of solidarityWith the scofferAnd the outcast

Out hereI hear clearlyFor the first timeThe way that you speakI hear it through their ears And through their eyes I seeWhat you doAnd valueAnd your way

Since I understand youI could show youI'd be kindCan you see the advantage

You smilePush in the same directionYou sayThere's so much work to doA friendly dismissalOf the quaint contrarian

I know better nowWhat it's really likeTo be an outsiderAnd I'm finding That outsideFeels better than insideA friend to sinners

I can say that to youYou speak the lingoBut out hereIt's embarrassingTo speak of loveIn coded language

Ode to Simone

God is loveGod is light"Love is light,Not consolation"*Or condemnationThe light is sufficient

I welcome the shadowBecause it's cast by the lightLight can blindAnd feel like darknessLight can warmAnd feel like love

"Love is light,Not consolation."It is enough

I want to become ChristianOne who can bathe in lightEven as it feels like fireBurning away fearFear of the light

Turn or Burn

You probably think I'm jokingWell, maybe I amBut I also think it's trueIf we don't turn from violenceViolence as the only answerWe'll end up scorching the earthIf we don't turn backFrom consuming and pollutingAnd hoping in growthThere won't be enough foodOr water or land

Our apocalyptic movies Reveal what happens When there's not enoughSo no, I'm not joking after allIf we refuse to turn backTo live out the kingdom solutionsWe will burn

Why do we think Jesus will save usHe already offeredWe keep refusingTo take up our cross and follow

Thousands of years of historyReveal the consistency of Divine wrathA.K.A. FreedomAnd its consequences

Perhaps we've properly interpretedThe Biblical promises Of a new heaven and a new earthBut that doesn't meanThat we won't joinOur brothers and sistersFrom the pastWho have created their ownHell on earth